Library Reminders Make Life Easier

There’s a lot to keep track of in our busy lives. Let e-mail reminders help you!

FOR DUE DATE REMINDERS, sign up for free Library Elf, a great service with a funny name, at champaign.org/elf. Elf will e-mail you when an item is due soon (and remind you again if it’s overdue). Elf is especially helpful if there are several library cards in your family. You can review your Elf account online to see all of your family’s due dates in one handy place.

FOR LIBRARY EVENT REMINDERS, go to champaign.org/events. Click on any event, then click “Remind Me.” You’ll get an e-mail reminder two days ahead. Want to know about events for particular ages? On our events page, click “E-mail Reminder Sign-up” (near the top of the page) then choose the types of events you want to know about.

Home Delivery for Homebound Readers

Do you know someone (or are you someone) who can’t get to the library for health reasons? Our home delivery service can help! Volunteers deliver all kinds of books, DVDs, audiobooks, CDs, and magazines directly to your doorstep. The service can be used on a long-term basis, or for just a short time (e.g. while recovering from surgery, or on bedrest). You can request specific items, or let us choose items that match your tastes. To learn more, call 217/403–2070.

Check the box beside any item you want to delay.
Enter a date where you see “Suspend until” (default is one month).

Click “Change Status.” The “Suspended” status and date will be shown to the right of the title.

You can always make a request active again. Just check the box next to the item and click “Change Status” again.

Meet the Mountain Dulcimer

Learn about this simple and beautiful Appalachian folk instrument and join in singing traditional American songs. Hilary Valentine (pictured) and Rebecca Grosser, leaders of the beginning string band in Parkland’s Community Education program, will host this free Lifelong Learners @ the Library event on Wed., Aug 11. Come for refreshments at 9:30 am; the program starts at 10 am. This monthly series is a community collaboration with Parkland College. There’s a different topic each month, on the second Wednesday. Registration is not needed. Refreshments provided by the Library Friends.

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August 2010

Event Calendar

See all of our events on our website calendar; use the month selector to view other months. Click on an event to sign up for convenient e-mail reminders. Also see this month’s events on our print-friendly PDF.

Book Bags in Bright New Colors

Our $2 reusable book bags now come in bright new colors: lime green and orange, along with black, royal blue, and cranberry. Get a different color for each member of the family! Our bags feature a slim pocket — a great place for library receipts. Purchase bags at our Checkout Desk or in our FriendShop used book store.

Kelly’s Picks

As our collection manager, Kelly Strom keeps a constant eye on what’s new and great in the book world. She shares recommendations every other Sunday in the News-Gazette’s “Between the Stacks” column, and monthly on the “Tuesday Pageturners” segment on WCIA-TV’s The Morning Show. Check out her suggestions on our website.

Reading Ideas in Your Inbox

Get book recommendations through free e-newsletters from the book experts at BookPage. Each newsletter has a different focus, such as bestselling fiction, picture books for children, mysteries, audiobooks, or books in the news. To sign up, start at bit.ly/good_reads.

Fiction Clearance Sale: In the Pink

Fiction books with a pink label, plus books on tape, are on sale this month at our used book store, the FriendShop. Regular-priced fiction with pink labels, normally 50 cents to $1, will be “buy 1, get 1 free.” Individually priced “special” fiction with pink labels will also be half price. Come shop any Saturday or Sunday between 1:30 and 4:30 pm. Take the elevator to our lower level. (What’s the pink mean? Colored labels show when each item was added to the shop.)

Overdue Fee Changed on July 1, 2010

Just a reminder that, as of July 1, overdue fees for items from our library are 20 cents per day. This is our first overdue fee increase since 1992. The new fee is among several steps we’re taking to maintain our budget for books and other library materials during a time of slowing growth in property tax income. Library fees can be conveniently paid online.